Willingness to vaccinate against the coronavirus

Last registered on March 24, 2020
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Willingness to vaccinate against the coronavirus
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0005576
Initial registration date
March 19, 2020

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
March 24, 2020, 11:02 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Linda Thunstrom
Affiliation
University of Wyoming
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2020-03-19
End date
2020-03-24
Keywords
Health
Additional Keywords
corona virus, COVID-19, vaccination
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to examine how people would respond to a vaccine against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and how that in turn would affect the length and severity of the Coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.

Specifically, subjects will get information about the estimated risks of the coronavirus, as well as an estimate of how effective a coronavirus vaccine might be, and thereafter state their willingness to vaccinate themselves, or any children in their household.

Given it is unclear at this point exactly what the risks are from the coronavirus in the U.S., we will vary information about the risks across subjects, such that they will be randomized into one of 8 information treatments. In other words, each subject will only face one of the treatments.

We foresee the project to deliver important information to policymakers on the willingness to vaccinate against the corona virus, once a vaccine has been developed. It is important to government agencies not only to ensure a vaccine is developed, but also to ensure the uptake of the vaccine is satisfactory. This project helps with the latter.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Thunstrom, Linda. 2020. "Willingness to vaccinate against the coronavirus." AEA RCT Registry. March 24. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5576-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Participants will be randomized into one of 8 treatments. In each treatment, they will receive different risk information about the corona virus, and thereafter asked about their willingness to vaccinate themselves and their family members.

The information will consist of the following (2x2) design for 4 treatments:
-High or low estimates of probability of catching the virus, based on most current information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
-High or low severity (risk of death) of the COVID-19, as determined by scientists.

Further, in an additional 4 treatments, the above information will be combined with:
Risk information that is lower, communicated by the White house.
Intervention Start Date
2020-03-19
Intervention End Date
2020-03-24

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Share of people who agree to vaccinate
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Participants will be randomized into one of 8 treatments. In each treatment, they will receive different risk information about the corona virus, and thereafter asked about their willingness to vaccinate themselves and their family members.

The information will consist of the following (2x2) design for 4 treatments:
-High or low estimates of probability of catching the virus, based on most current information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
-High or low severity (risk of death) of the COVID-19, as determined by scientists.

Further, in an additional 4 treatments, the above information will be combined with:
Risk information that is lower, communicated by the White house.
Experimental Design Details
Participants will be randomized into one of 8 treatments. In each treatment, they will receive different risk information about the corona virus, and thereafter asked about their willingness to vaccinate themselves and their family members.

The information will consist of the following (2x2) design for 4 treatments:
-High or low estimates of probability of catching the virus, based on most current information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
-High or low severity (risk of death) of the COVID-19, as determined by scientists.

Further, in an additional 4 treatments, the above information will be combined with:
Risk information that is lower, communicated by the White house.
Randomization Method
Randomization by computer
Randomization Unit
Individuals.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
None
Sample size: planned number of observations
3000 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
3000/8=375 individuals
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Institutional Review Board, University of Wyoming
IRB Approval Date
2020-03-18
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials